Posted on 12/03/2009 1:46:28 PM PST by thefactor
There's been much debate about how to handle overweight passengers on flights. While some airlines may charge for an extra seat, not all do — and now a flight attendant allegedly snapped a photo on an American Airlines flight (destination and take-off point unknown), which of course has been leaked to the press.
A Flight Global blog got a hold of the photo, which they say the attendant took to "show her manager what was happening on the aircraft and why she was unhappy about it. Seems the guy paid for only one seat and the gate staff let him board."
(Excerpt) Read more at gothamist.com ...
The bigger question — pardon the pun — is that the aisle is blocked. That’s a major safety concern.
That guy should have been forced to buy two seats, one window and one middle, so others can move about the plane safely. Can you imagine an evacuation with him taking up half the aisle?
Of course the flight attendant was concerned enough to take the photo.
Okay, so he is fat. All this is freakin’ crap to get you all ramped up against fat folks.
We are so done. Just like a overcooked steak.
Tough, dry and unedible.
I didn’t pay for this guys ticket, so I do not care.
But it’s not that simple. Because there’s way too many people, with lawyers, that want to yell discrimination. This guy got charged to 1 seat, yet clearly is not capable of sitting in only 1 seat. But if they charged him for 2, or said they didn’t have the extra room, they get problems like Southwest had (linked to in the story).
The airline’s aren’t doing anything wrong, they CAN’T charge the fat guy extra, they’ll get sued or at least get a ton of bad press (again look at what happened to Southwest). And since you made it an either/or question that leaves only the fat guy to blame. If you want to break it out of the either/or we can look at a society that’s so addicted to victim status that airlines fear to say “you’re too fat for one seat, pay for two”.
Bingo. however, the so called “conservatives” on here are going to flame you.
Oh horse crap. They got the cart by this guy or all of the people would be bitch*ng.
They just want you to hate him, and they must be succeeding.
I just hate this fat guy! /sarc
Looks real to me. A lot of airlines stage their boarders, letting those with seats at the back of the plain board first, then the middle and then the front.
The story explains that it was taken during the boarding process and another Freeper said the guy eventually was seated in the TWO seats on the row behind where is waiting during the photo.
This guy is just nasty nasty overweight and should have bought two tickets instead of scumming off everyone elses fares.
Nothing looks “photoshopped” in anyway about this phot IMHO.
The size of the seat is part of the purchase price. If you are spreading out beyond the space you have purchased it’s rude, disrespectful andjust plain liberal to expect others to just “surrender” the space that they have paid for.
No they didn’t. When you or someone else bought the ticket, they did not tell you, nor did you know. a big hefty fat guy was getting on the plane.
After this day, I am really dissappointed at conservatives. This is not about freedom, but who gets to run the tyranny.
Shame on all of us.
OK...but no one authenticates it, the people around him aren’t staring (and you KNOW that they would be) and the leg is a solid shadow...in opinion, it’s a fake...and I promise this is true...I have flown just under a million miles DOMESTICALLY with AA...this wouldn’t happen.
Well, I have to say that I agree with you here, too. We might agree on just about everything except where the "blame" lies.
To me it works like this: Once that passenger is actually ON the plane he has entered into a contract with the airlines just like all the other passengers and so should be accommodated just like all the other passengers. That puts the "blame" on the airlines if they don't live up to it.
The lawsuit angle is very true in this day and age and IMHO (IANAL) the airlines need to man up and charge all passengers in such a way that they actually make a profit for a change.
They need to either provide larger seating (which it sounds like they actually did in this case) or charge more or decline the passenger.Since the feds control this all the PC stuff intrudes and keeps logic and sanity from prevailing except by accident.
I still maintain, having said that I basically agree with all your points, that taking it out on the large passenger is actually a human, social failing and Conservatives should go back to respecting the privacy of people's lives EVEN IF they are inconvenienced at times. But then maybe I am a throwback to another era... my father's or grandfathers's perhaps.Or maybe we ought to try to "forgive" people for not being cookie-cutter perfect in size and shape?
But what can the airline do? They can’t tell him to go away, it’ll general bad press or possibly lawsuits. They can’t charge him extra, it’ll generate bad press or possibly lawsuits. They can’t make all the seats big enough for this guy, it’ll cut their seat count in half, and seatbelts don’t work that well when the seat is much larger than you, you start sliding around sideways and stuff. so they have, literally, NOTHING they can do about the situation. They CANNOT be at fault, because to be at fault there needs to be something you can actually do.
Let’s keep in mind that YOUR the one that wanted to bring blame into the conversation. I don’t really give a crap if the guy is fat, so long as his fat isn’t in my seat on an airplane. But because YOU asked if the fat guy or the airline was to blame, and the airline can’t be at fault that leaves the fat guy. That’s the answer to the question you asked, outside of that question it’s another matter entirely, outside of the strictures of your question we get to the real world answer: change things so the airline actually CAN do something.
If I want to know what a "conservative" would think or do I think of what my father would say or do.
He would keep his mouth shut in public, fume, and later say "you pays your money you takes your chances." Caveat Emptor. It takes all kinds to make a world. The airlines really ought to step up and solve this problem so that the other passengers aren't put out. EVERY PAYING CUSTOMER has the same rights as all the others. It's up to the airline to live up to that. That's why they get paid, isn't it? After all, wasn't that guy that large BEFORE they took his money? It's way too late to blame him.
That's what he'd say were he around to say it and if anybody wants to challenge his conservative creds then I wish he were around to defend them.
I have a problem with conservatives that are no better than lefties.
Question is, do they really believe in individual liberty and freedom, or do they believe it is okay to be a leftie azzhole as long as their party is running the show?
This is my ultimate question. I feel it is a really good one. Mainly because I am not so sure anymore. The stuff I have read on here today does not pump me up.
I am starting to be really disgusted.
You wouldn't think it would be okay for some skinny dude to just lay over on you cause he felt like it. Why should I have to put up with some guy leaning over me just cause he chosen to chronically overeat and not get enough exercise his whole life.
Again if someone wants to ruin themselves with excess booze, tobacco or food that is their business and I don't suppose it is really any big deal to me beyond normal human compassion for their plight. However when they can't stand up straight and fall all over everyone because they are drunk or they can't contain themselves into the space they have purchased for a trip then the rights of others come into play as well.
If the airline chooses to allow the person to wait until the end of boarding and then try to accommodate the fat guy by trying to organize two seats together then bully for them. However, if they have sold every seat on the plane and they sold one next to ME to a person who for ANY reason can't contain themselves to it then I expect them to move THE OTHER GUY out of my purchased space and settle the matter with him.
Uh, you seem to have overlooked that fact that they solved the problem amicably so apparently there *is* something that they can do after all.
That picture was taken when the airplane was still on the ground and *not* during takeoff. The end result was that he was seated in two seats behind where the picture was taken (according to posts here on FR.)
All of this heat is being generated because an airlines service employee violated the privacy of the passenger and implied an insoluble problem existed where it didn't. If you wish to leave the word "blame" out of it we can still discuss responsibility and in this case all this brouhaha rests with that service employee who really had no business publishing pictures of private passengers.
You still seem steamed and that is unfortunate. It is precisely the emotional reaction to this situation that I am complaining about and why I chose to use the word "blame." If I could sum it up I'd say to everyone in general simply to relax and let things work themselves out. Seldom are we really victims and sometimes we can even accommodate others' failings without being much hurt ourselves. No hatred for others, no loss of rights, no victimhood and especially no PC garbage.
I normally don’t worry about duplicate as its so hard to do a good search. most of the time it provides different people a chance to see the article /s.
However this one just hit me wrong, sorry didnt mean to give you a hard time.
I do not agree. The airline is responsible and it is not costing you one dime extra. If you have a beef, take it up with the airline, after all, they took that fat guys money, right?. But of course if the government runs the airline, they will make sure that your gripe is accomodated and fat folks will not get healthcare or a plane ticket. Man, won’t that make you feel all better?
Geesh
Don’t project your worries of losing healthcare on me. I made my points very clear and thorough anf fair. All you can come up with is “I don’t agree”, some strawman stuff about healthcare and a guilt trip.
Stay as fat as you want, get grotesquely skinny if you want do the things you want to do. Just stay out of my seat when I buy a plane ticket, bus ticket etc.
I am five foot and weigh 100 pounds. Difference between me and you is that I don’t hate folks who aren’t my size. I know many fat folks who I love dearly.
I don’t agree with people who pretend to be about freedom and liberty who would be as bad as democrats if they ran the show.
That is you.
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